Central Bedfordshire Council news and press releases

New 'dial-a-ride' community transport service launched

We were proud to host an official launch of the new 'dial-a-ride' community transport service, which provides minibuses to 50 different parishes in the mid and east of Central Bedfordshire.

The Greensand Country bus service, started running in October 2018 and was officially launched today. Since the start of the contract, it has already provided 1,535 door-to-door journeys for residents.

The service provides a bookable and fully accessible door-to-door minibus service for elderly or disabled people who find it difficult to use traditional buses, trains or other forms of transport. The service operates between 8:30am and 5pm from Monday to Friday.

Councillor Ian Dalgarno, our Executive Member for Community Services, said: "We know how important public transport is, especially in rural areas, where it is not always viable to run a regular bus service.

"This door-to-door service enables those who cannot use conventional public transport or get about themselves to go shopping, visit friends and attend doctor appointments.

"It's one of those services people don’t often know about, and we are keen for many more people to use and benefit from this service."

The minibuses are provided by Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) on our behalf. BRCC is a well-respected local charity who offer a range of community transport services across Bedfordshire.

Speaking at the official launch, Tracy Cowan, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity, said: "BRCC are very pleased and excited to welcome our new Greensand Country bus service which will help us to continue to connect our communities across Bedfordshire. It joins several other initiatives within BRCC providing excellent services to enhance and support our most needy and isolated residents."